


Forged Fittings

by Im_The_Doctor (Bofur1)



Series: As We Are - Side Stories [2]
Category: Transformers - All Media Types, Transformers: Prime
Genre: Alien Cultural Differences, Ambiguous/Open Ending, Anxiety, Banter, Bitterness, Boredom, Bounty Hunters, Cynicism, Denial of Feelings, Dishonored - Freeform, Emotional Baggage, Evil Plans, Explanations, Friends in High Places, Gossip, Grief/Mourning, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Judgment, Leadership, Lost Love, Loyalty, Medical Examination, Medical Reading, Multi, Pack Feels, Partnership, Pre-Earth Transformers, Protectiveness, Reluctant Partners, Teasing, Threats of Violence, Transformers Spark Bonds, Twins
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-03
Updated: 2015-12-03
Packaged: 2018-05-04 19:53:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 936
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5346554
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bofur1/pseuds/Im_The_Doctor
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Before Ratchet himself went under a blade, before Jazz was tempted to undermine a friend, before Prowl and Bluestreak were forced to take an officer's life, there was another Autobot leader coming into his prime...As well as Decepticon bounty hunters, ready and willing to nip him in the bud.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Forged Fittings

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ImGaladriel](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ImGaladriel/gifts).



> For you, who suggested a long time ago that I should be posting this series here. I've finally given in to your request. ;)

“Hey…are you busy?”

Fishtail’s bice-green optics lifted at the voice of his chief medical officer. Tossing aside his reading, he shrugged. “Not with anything that interests me. What amusements can you offer?”

Pacemaker smiled briefly and approached, sinking comfortably into the chair in front of Fishtail’s desk. “I’ve just finished the mandatory inspections of the new recruits and the recent transfers.”

“Ah, that’s good. How many were there?”

“Eight. It was _interesting_ ,” Pacemaker declared. “It’s not often that a medic finds several rarities in one group.”

“Rarities,” Fishtail echoed, raising an eyebrow. “Like what, exactly, and how many is ‘several’?”

“Well, occasionally there comes a Bot who has a little… _oddity_ which makes them unique,” Pacemaker explained. “Sometimes it’s medical, sometimes it’s psychological, or relational, or contextual, and occasionally even spiritual. In this group, there’s some of each to go around! For the new recruits, there’s a pod driver, a social worker, and a Minibot!”

Fishtail frowned slightly, pulling his feet off of his desk. “A _single_ Minibot? I thought they came in groups of five.”

“Five to seven,” Pacemaker corrected. “The name for it in their culture is only known to them, but these groups are commonly called ‘paces’. Ignition, this Minibot? He doesn’t have a pace.”

“Why not?”

“He wouldn’t say. All he said was that the pace he used to have was Unraveled. Apparently that’s a great dishonor for the Unraveler, but he didn’t say if he Unraveled it or someone else did.”

Humming thoughtfully, Fishtail returned his feet to the desk and waved a hand. “And for the transfers?”

“Heh, that group’s even better! A Lobbing coach, a set of spark-split twins, and a pair of brothers who might as well be; they’re almost inseparable.”

“Those twins,” Fishtail started slowly, suppressing the urge to cringe and reaching for his open energon cube to cover it. “Is it your nephews?”

“Oh, no! Sideswipe and Sunstreaker are still…being constructed,” Pacemaker brushed the idea aside, oblivious to how Fishtail’s shoulders slumped mildly in relief. “This duo is Spotlight and Freezeframe.”

Fishtail froze, the energon sloshing halfway to his mouth. “The tactician and the engineer?”

“The very same,” Pacemaker confirmed, almost sounding apologetic. “I try not to judge before a Bot proves the color of their spark, especially if that spark is shared.”

“Because you’re a twin yourself and because of your nephews,” Fishtail agreed, grimacing. “But I’ve heard quite a bit about them from friends at other bases.”

“I watched them interact and they are…eccentric,” Pacemaker allowed. “But knowing what we know about them, we can try to accept them as they are. If we, as the last resort, can prove that they were right to be transferred here, maybe we can gain a bit of pull, apart from our friends at Outpost Alpha.” Venting decisively, Pacemaker changed the subject. “What were you working on that plagued you so fiercely?”

“Personnel files,” Fishtail sighed. “Usually Blowtorch, as SIC, handles the hiring, but ever since…” He trailed off, shuttering his optics briefly and trying—failing to force his vocals to reboot.

“Since Nightspeed,” Pacemaker finished softly.

It mended something and broke something else in Fishtail’s spark to hear the name. His vocalizer _finally_ reactivated. “Since we find ourselves in need of a TIC, Blowtorch has been getting on my case about approving someone for _every_ position.”

“Well, here are a few more names to throw into play,” Pacemaker murmured, handing him the medical charts and taking his leave.

Fishtail, still in the process of putting away his pain, called sharply, “ _More_ paperwork? I thought we were friends, Pacemaker!” He paused a nanoklik or two before sighing heavily and shuffling listlessly through the files.

Gauge, airway pod driver. Aubade, social worker. Gridiron, Lobbing coach. Ignition, augmented Minibot. Spotlight, tactician, and his twin brother Freezeframe, engineer. Tread, scientist, and his older brother Betaflux, infantryman.

Just by reading their names, Fishtail knew he had his work cut out for him.

—

Emberdrive looked up from the personnel files in front of him with a small smile. “You have your work cut out for you,” he remarked. “Particularly if the CO, Fishtail, forms his new command structure quickly.”

“It’s taken him this long to recover from the death of his TIC alone,” his companion reminded him sourly. “He’s scatterbrained.”

“True,” Emberdrive allowed. “The force behind him consists of his SIC, his communications officer, and his Special Ops. leader.”

“Blowtorch, Screwloose, and Backscatter,” she listed promptly.

Tilting his helm into one hand, Emberdrive nodded. “Precisely. But I failed to mention another member. As did you.”

“I know that well enough, Emberdrive! I _refuse_ to speak his name.”

“Out of fear, anger, or respect?” he countered deftly.

“I don’t fear or respect him!” she spat. “He drove his cousin away in his time of most dire need.”

“And yet that was what sent him to the Decepticons. To Megatron and then eventually to you,” Emberdrive pointed out. “Engarde was the reason you and Elite Infinitum fell in love, Stellarstrobe.”

The bounty huntress stood abruptly, toppling her chair. “Speak any of those names again, Emberdrive, and I will kill you while you recharge.”

“That’s a misconception if ever I heard one,” Emberdrive sighed. “What makes you think I _do_ recharge?”

That almost seemed to take Stellarstrobe aback, but she didn’t say anything more, simply flipped her chair up with her heel and stalked toward the door.

“And by the way, it will be quite difficult to work with you if I cannot call you by name!” Emberdrive called after her, laughing when she only growled in response while rounding the bend.

**Author's Note:**

> All characters, aside from Freezeframe, belong to me. (Freezeframe belongs to Animangamisfit, who has given me permission to write him!) Canon TF characters mentioned belong to Hasbro.
> 
> I hope you enjoyed!! I'd really, really appreciate feedback; these OCs are precious to me and I want to know what you think. :)


End file.
